Packets of the rigid type for cigarettes are known, with a hinged closing lid, known as “hinged lid”. These are generally easy to produce starting from a conventional blank, that is, from a sheet of material such as cardboard, paper or suchlike, suitably shaped and worked, and are easy and practical to use, protecting the cigarettes inside them.
Traditional cigarette packets have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, that extends along a longitudinal axis, and comprise a rigid external shell defining an external containing body and a lid hinged to the external containing body by means of a hinge. In traditional packets, the closing lid remains completely outside the external containing body when the packet is closed.
These “hinged lid” rigid packets are particularly appreciated by some types of smokers thanks to their high level of rigidity, which prevents damage to the cigarettes even when the packet is subjected to knocks or is kept in a pocket or bag of the consumer.
Changes in the habits of smokers and in regulations have generated a need to increase the space available to insert messages, drawings or promotional messages.
Some smokers are conservative creatures of habit and so they look diffidently on packets that have shapes and modes of use that are different from traditional rigid packets.
In particular, rigid packets for cigarettes are also known, of the type with sliding opening, known as “hinged-lid slide-open”, in which there are two containers or shells, an external shell comprising an external containing body, and an internal shell. The internal shell in turn contains an organized group of cigarettes wrapped in a wrapper or sheet.
The internal shell is housed inside the external containing body, with respect to which it is configured to slide between a closed configuration, in which the internal shell is completely inserted inside the external containing body, and an open configuration, in which the internal shell is partly extracted from the external containing body. In this type of packet, compared with traditional rigid ones, there is a greater surface available for writings, drawings or promotional messages in general. Moreover, this type of packet can be used both in a new way, that is, by removing the internal shell, and also in a traditional way, thus keeping both more innovative smokers and conservative smokers happy.
A packet of this type is described for example in WO-A-2007/065514. This packet allows to increase the space available for promotional messages, since such messages can be printed both on the external shell and also on the internal shell. However, due to its very configuration and construction, the packet has to be produced starting from special blanks, which cannot be processed on normal packaging machines. These packets are therefore difficult to make, because they need special production lines that have a high cost and considerable bulk.
A packet of this type is also described in WO-A-2007/144043, where the external containing body of the external shell is provided with an aperture, made in a lower portion of a front wall and in a central portion of its base wall, so as to allow access to the internal shell, in particular to a base side thereof. Furthermore, in the packet described in WO-A-2007/144043, the lid is connected to the internal shell by a tongue protruding from a front side, facing the front wall of the external containing body of the internal shell. In use, a consumer inserts a finger into said aperture and, acting on the base side, thrusts the internal shell toward the outside of the containing body. Following this relative movement, the tongue, connected to the lid, rotates the latter to an open position. After extracting the cigarette, in order to reclose the packet, the consumer thrusts the internal shell toward the inside of the containing body until the base side abuts on the base wall. Following this relative movement, the tongue, connected to the lid, rotates the latter to a closed position. One defect of packets of the type described in WO-A-2007/144043 is the small space available to personalize the packets, for example using writings, drawings or more generally promotional messages printed on the visible surfaces of the packet. In fact, such messages can be printed as well as on the external containing body, as already happens in traditional packets, only on a limited end portion of one rear side, opposite said front side, of the internal shell, protruding, in an open configuration of the packet, from the containing body. However, the transverse length of the tongue, connecting the internal shell to the lid, greatly limits the end portion of the rear side visible in the open configuration of the packet.
In these known solutions, the packet cannot be used in a traditional way, since the consumer has to use his finger to thrust the internal shell, as discussed above.
Furthermore, in these known solutions and in similar solutions where the internal shell can be made to slide and partly extracted from the external containing body, it is necessary to provide mechanical stops to prevent the accidental complete exit of the internal shell, which entails further working, modifications to traditional machines and hence an increase in terms of times and costs.
Another known packet is described for example in CN-A-2483353, which provides an internal shell that slides to be extracted from an external containing body, by pressure from below through an aperture made on a base wall of the external containing body. This packet cannot be made on traditional packaging machines either.
It should also be noted that, although packets with a slide-open internal container are appreciated by young or imaginative smokers, more conservative smokers have shown a certain aversion for this type of packet and for the complicated opening systems that they entail.
In this context, document WO-A-2013/068959 is also known, which provides a hinged-lid slide-open packet similar to those described above, in which the internal shell, to which the closing lid is hinged and of which it is part, partly slides outside the external containing body between the closed configuration and the open configuration. Thanks to a tongue of the internal shell that connects the lid to the external containing body as well, this allows to “automatically” rotate the lid when the internal shell slides with respect to the external containing body. In this solution too, the base wall of the external containing body has an aperture through which the consumer can exert a thrust on the internal shell so as to slide it and partly remove it. In this known solution, moreover, the closing lid is configured to be included completely retracted in the external containing body when the packet is in the closed configuration, and is thus completely hidden, flush with the upper edges of the external containing body. This solution is even further from the characteristics and exterior appearance typical of a traditional cigarette packet, and therefore can represent a solution that does not please all smokers, in particular more conservative ones. Furthermore, this configuration of the closing lid requires using a specific blank, which on the one hand is in itself an additional cost, and on the other hand makes the blank and the packet impossible to process on the packaging machines that are normally available to cigarette producers. Moreover, this known packet can suffer from poor resistance and rigidity of the internal shell, in particular when, during use, the number of smoking articles contained therein diminishes.
Furthermore, other known packets are described for example in WO-A-2009/125240 and WO-A-2011/058414, in which the closing lid is part of the external containing body, but can be separated from it to allow the sliding extraction of the internal shell. When this happens, since it is also constrained to the internal container, the closing lid is translated together with the latter. In this context, document WO-A-2011/092567 is also known, in which the closing lid is separated from the internal shell and is integrated with the external containing body, remaining thus even when the internal shell is slidingly removed.
Other known packets are described in GB-A-568.649, DE-A-1.285.948 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,902,963.
As we said, it is a strongly felt requirement in this field to provide packets that satisfy all the needs described above, and that can be processed on normal packaging machines, without having to use different or special machines or production lines, or in any case providing only minimum adjustments or implementations to traditional known machines. Indeed it is obvious that, for producers, the choice of producing packets that entail purchasing new and dedicated packaging machines constitutes an increase in costs to be sustained.
There is therefore a need to perfect a packet for smoking articles that can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.
In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to improve packets for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, and the blanks that can be used to obtain such packets.
Another purpose is to provide rigid packets for smoking articles, in particular but not exclusively cigarettes, that have a large surface available for communications to the consumer, advertising messages and suchlike.
Another purpose is to provide packets for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, that can be produced easily even on traditional packaging machines.
Another purpose is to provide packets for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, that are versatile, so that they can be appreciated both by smokers with conservative tastes and also by smokers that enjoy innovative configurations.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.